Memoranda on Poisons

A compact toxicology handbook defines poisons and explains their modes of action alongside the practitioner’s duties in diagnosing and treating poisoning. It outlines procedures for detecting poisons in organic material, including reliable chemical tests and methods for separating toxic agents from biological admixture. A revised provisional classification arranges agents into groups such as corrosives, simple and specific irritants, irritant gases, and multiple neurotic categories (narcotics, anesthetics, inebriants, delirants, convulsives, hyposthenisants, depressants, asphyxiants, and abortives). Individual chapters survey acids, alkalis, metal salts, vegetable and animal irritants, gases, and many specific toxins, with clinical signs and recommended immediate management, plus appendices and an index for quick reference.